1988
This is a list of various things that took place in 1988. Significant events Unknown date :*David Woods buys Continental Championship Wrestling from Ron Fuller and renames the promotion as the Continental Wrestling Federation. Under Woods' ownership, the CWF later lands a national TV deal with cable sports network SCORE January :*24 - Jim Crockett Promotions presents its annual Bunkhouse Stampede event on pay-per-view from Uniondale, New York. Dusty Rhodes wins the Bunkhouse Stampede steel cage battle royal main event by eliminating The Barbarian, while on the undercard, Ric Flair retains his NWA World Heavyweight Championship via disqualification loss against Road Warrior Hawk, and Nikita Koloff retains his NWA World Television Championship by battling Bobby Eaton to a time-limit draw :* 24 - The first Royal Rumble event - a classic battle royal, but differing in that only two competitors begin the matchup, and at regular intervals another participant enters the match - is held by the WWF. For this year only, the event is aired on the USA Network, but in future years it would be a pay-per-view event. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan is the first event's winner February :*Following his sale of Continental Championship Wrestling and his retirement as an active competitor, Ron Fuller establishes USA Championship Wrestling in Knoxville :*5 - The WWF debuts The Main Event on NBC as a spinoff of Saturday Night's Main Event, marking the return of wrestling to prime-time network TV for the first time since 1955 (when the DuMont Network cancelled Wrestling from Marigold Arena). The main event sees André the Giant defeat Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Heavyweight Championship in controversial fashion (a referee had counted the pinfall, even though Hogan's shoulder was clearly up), then sell the belt to Ted DiBiase (as part of a storyline focusing on DiBiase's efforts to become champion, by hook or by crook). More than 33 million viewers tune in to watch the match, and the broadcast's success led to future prime-time specials March :*7 - During a match against Hulk Hogan that would air that weekend on Saturday Night's Main Event, Harley Race seriously injures himself when an attempted stunt -- Race laying Hogan across a (non-gimmicked) table outside the ring and attempting a diving headbutt, but Hogan rolling out of the way to cause Race to crash through the table -- went wrong, and the metal trim around the table's edge pierced Race's abdomen. Race continued the match to its intended conclusion (Hogan scoring a pinfall victory) without any apparent ill-effects, and would compete in a battle royal at WrestleMania IV three weeks later as scheduled, but fell ill shortly after WrestleMania and underwent surgery. With Race forced to take a hiatus, the WWF began an angle where Race's manager, Bobby Heenan, blamed Hogan for deliberately taking out Race and vowed revenge. Race returns late in 1988 as a tweener, competing on an André the Giant-captained team at the Survivor Series but then going on-camera at an event at Philadelphia Spectrum (aired on PRISM), calling Heenan a "weasel" (and slapping his face) before demanding a match against Haku :*27 - Jim Crockett Promotions presents the inaugural edition of Clash of the Champions on TBS in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ric Flair retains his NWA World title by battling Sting to a 45-minute draw in the main event April :*22-23 - The third (and what would be final, until 2019) NWA Crockett Cup Memorial Tag Team Tournament is held in Greenville, South Carolina (Night One) and Greensboro, North Carolina (Night Two). On Night Two, Lex Luger and Sting win the Crockett Cup tournament by beating Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson in the final, while Ric Flair retains his NWA World title via DQ loss to Nikita Koloff in a non-tournament match prior to the final May :*8 - NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion The Grappler is unsuccessful in his bid to take the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from titleholder (and Pacific Northwest Wrestling alumnus) Curt Hennig, who retains his title by pinning Grappler at an PNW card in Seattle, Washington following interference on Hennig's behalf by Mike Miller. Although Hennig is competing as a heel in the AWA at this point, he wrestles this match in PNW as a face against the heel Grappler due to his history with PNW June :* The first "Brother Love Show" -- WWF writer and producer Bruce Prichard as a stereotypical evangelistic preacher -- talk show segment, patterned after "Piper’s Pit," debuts. At first a part of WWF Wrestling Challenge, the segment soon moves to the WWF's flagship program WWF Superstars of Wrestling. July :*16 - Bruiser Brody is stabbed to death in the shower area by Jose Gonzales (aka Invader I) during a World Wrestling Council event in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Gonzales, who later claimed self-defence in the incident, is subsequently charged with first-degree murder (later reduced to involuntary homicide) :*27 - Riki Chōshū pins Antonio Inoki at a New Japan Pro Wrestling event in Sapporo, Japan, scoring his first-ever singles win over the New Japan legend August :*USA Championship Wrestling ceases operations :* 29 - The inaugural SummerSlam pay-per-view event is held, originating at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The main event pits Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (as "The Mega Powers") against André the Giant and Ted DiBiase with special guest referee Jesse Ventura September :* Learning the Ropes, a Canadian-produced situation comedy starring NFL football star Lyle Alzado as a high school teacher who moonlights as a professional wrestler, debuts on CTV in Canada and in United States in syndication. The program features stars from the National Wrestling Alliance, and will have a one-year, 26-episode run November :*Jim Crockett Promotions is purchased by TBS owner Ted Turner and renamed World Championship Wrestling :*7 - WWF parent Titan Sports holds its first-ever non-wrestling pay-per-view as it presents a boxing match between Sugar Ray Leonard and Donny Lalonde :*24 - The Survivor Series is held for the second year in a row in Richfield, Ohio. The most notable storyline development would be the beginning of a slowly evolving angle where WWF Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage was growing increasingly irritated over getting second-billing to Hulk Hogan (despite not being champion) and Hogan's increasingly overly friendly relationship with Miss Elizabeth. Heel commentator Jesse Ventura picks up on this and interviews Savage backstage after the event, at which time Savage insists things are fine. For the rest of 1988 and going into 1989, the storyline has it that the two are still friends, although subtle hints continue to be dropped that all is not well between the two December :*13 - The American Wrestling Association holds its first and only PPV event, AWA SuperClash III, at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago, Illinois. Talent from the AWA, the Continental Wrestling Association, the World Class Wrestling Association, Continental Championship Wrestling and the Powerful Women of Wrestling took part in the multi-promotion show Births Unknown :* - Barry Ryte January :*12 - Taylor Made :*19 - Mike Dalton :*28 - Seiya Sanada February :*3 - Devin Taylor :*18 - Hannah Blossom :*26 - Reid Flair :*26 - Steve O'Reno March :*6 - Rayna Von Tosh :*16 - Brett DiBiase May :*5 - Brooke Hogan :*6 - Evie :*22 - Santana Garrett :*26 - Babatunde Aiyegbusi June :*10 - CJ Banks :*11 - Hikaru :*18 - Riea Von Slasher :*25 - Mark Haskins July :*8 - Addy Starr :*9 - Mark Angel :*26 - Marty Scrull August :*4 - Vicky Skeeles :*18 - Ángel de Oro :*31 - Athena September :*6 - Brandon Scott :*8 - Buck Hawke :*29 - William Arturo Muñoz González October :*11 - Helios :*17 - Christina Crawford December :*6 - Drew Haskins :*16 - Sammi Lane :*23 - Alisha Ceraso Deaths May :*Fred Atkins 77 July :*4 - Pat Kelly (Car accident) :*4 - Adrian Adonis 34 (Car accident) :*4 - Dave McKigney 56 (Car accident) :*17 - Bruiser Brody 42 (Murdered) September :*6 - Leroy Brown 38 :*9 - Leroy McGuirk 78 Debuts Unknown date :*Ursula Hayden :*David Heath :*Sandra Margot :*Tracey Phelps :*Perry Satullo September :*13 - Dustin Runnels Retirements Unknown date *Sika Anoa'i Events January :*24 - WWF Royal Rumble 1988 (Televised event) February :*5 - The Main Event (Televised event) March :*27 - NWA Clash Of The Champions #1 (Televised event) April :*16 - AWA Rage In A Cage II May :*8 - WCWA 5th Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions June :*8 - NWA Clash Of The Champions #2 - "Miami Mayhem" (Televised event) August :*29 - AJPW Bruiser Brody Memorial Show September :*7 - NWA Clash Of The Champions #3 - "Fall Brawl" (Televised event) October :*6 - WWF King Of The Ring :*15 - WCWA 5th Cotton Bowl Extravaganza December :*7 - NWA Clash Of The Champions #4 - "Season's Beatings" (Televised event) Pay-Per-View events January :*24 - NWA Bunkhouse Stampede March :*27 - WWF WrestleMania IV July :*10 - NWA The Great American Bash - "The Price Of Freedom" August :*29 - WWF SummerSlam - "Where the Mega-Powers Meet the Mega-Bucks" November :*24 - WWF Survivor Series December :*13 - AWA SuperClash III :*26 - NWA Starrcade - "True Gritt" Title changes March :*19 - Badd Company (Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond) win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) in Las Vegas, Nevada :*27 - Randy Savage wins the vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship in a tournament final over Ted DiBiase at WrestleMania IV in Atlantic City, New Jersey :*27 - Demolition (Ax and Smash) win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) at WrestleMania IV :*27 - Barry Windham and Lex Luger win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson at Clash of the Champions I in Greensboro April :*15 - The NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, last held by Dusty Rhodes, is vacated when Rhodes is stripped of the title and suspended for accidentally hitting NWA president Jim Crockett, Jr. while attacking Tully Blanchard :*20 - Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson regain the NWA World Tag Team title from Barry Windham and Lex Luger in Jacksonville, Florida when Windham double-crosses Luger and joins the Four Horsemen May :*6 - Makhan Singh wins the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Owen Hart in Calgary, Alberta :*9 - Jerry Lawler wins the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from Curt Hennig in Memphis, Tennessee :*13 - Barry Windham wins the vacant NWA United States title in a tournament final over Nikita Koloff in Houston, Texas August :*5 - Scott Peterson wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from The Grappler in Eugene, Oregon :*29 - The Ultimate Warrior wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship from The Honky Tonk Man at SummerSlam 1988 in New York City September :*8 - The Grappler regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Scott Peterson in Newport, Oregon :*10 - The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) win the NWA World Tag Team title from Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October :*3 - Top Gun wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Longview, Washington :*10 - The Grappler regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Top Gun :*15 - Tatsumi Fujinami wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Portland, Oregon. Fujinami is awarded the title when Grappler fails to beat him within thirty minutes in a special challenge match aired on Portland Wrestling on Portland station KPTV :*29 - The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) win the NWA World Tag Team title from the Midnight Express in New Orleans, Louisiana November :*26 - Wendi Richter wins the AWA World Women's Championship from Madusa Miceli in Bloomington, Minnesota December :*9 - Don Muraco wins the Stampede North American title from Makhan Singh in Medicine Hat, Alberta :*10 - The Grappler regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Tatsumi Fujinami in Portland :*12 - The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) win the Stampede International Tag Team Championship from the Cuban Commandos (Cuban Assassin and Gerry Morrow) in a steel cage match in Calgary :*13 - Jerry Lawler retains his AWA World title and wins the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship from Kerry Von Erich in a title unification match at AWA SuperClash III in Chicago; Greg Gagne wins the vacant AWA International Television Championship via countout over Ronnie Garvin at SuperClash; Eric Embry wins the WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett at SuperClash :*25 - Top Gun regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Portland :*30 - Karachi Vice (Makhan Singh and Vokhan Singh) win the Stampede International Tag Team title from the British Bulldogs in Calgary See also Category:Wrestling Years